Android Authority newsletter

The best way to stay connected to the Android pulse. Our main newsletter is the Android Weekly which is sent every Sunday and contains all the top Android news, reviews and features from the past week.

100% Privacy, No Spam Policy: We value privacy and your email address will be 100% secure. We hate spam just like you do and will never send you too much email, nor will we ever share your information with anyone.

By now, even the most loyal Android, Windows, and iOS fans are tired of these patent disputes. They’ve been raging worldwide for well over a year and have cost pretty much everyone a lot of money. Even though each company is confident they’re going to come out on top, perhaps no one is more confident than Samsung. They’ve recently stated that Apple’s iPhone can’t exist without them.

That is a pretty bold statement from Samsung. The Korean based company is confident that their wireless patents are essential to Apple and iPhones. So much so that iPhones couldn’t exist without them. Samsung’s mobile chief Shin Jong-kyun is quoted as saying, “The truth never lies. Without Samsung-owned wireless patents, it’s impossible for the Cupertino-based Apple to produce its handsets.”

According to the Korea Times, these statements come after the USITC decided to take a second look at Samsung’s claims that Apple violated four of their wireless patents. The final ruling is reportedly scheduled for January. If Samsung wins, then Apple can’t sell their devices in the United States.

So is this just Samsung trolling Apple?

You bet, and it carries some truth. Samsung actually does have these patents and Apple does actually use them. So on the face of it, Samsung’s statement isn’t incorrect. Even in a literal sense, Samsung makes many of the parts for the iPhone itself.

That isn’t to say that it’s entirely truthful either. It’s a well known fact that patent law is vague at best. Patents can be phrased and analysed in a number of ways. So even if Samsung has these patents, it’s not impossible to believe that Apple can get around them. After all, they’ve already done it once.

So let us know what you think about all this. Is Samsung’s statement overly aggressive? Or is this Samsung asserting some dominance in the mobile market?